Combating Homegrown Terrorism

Statement Before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Subcommittee on National SecurityWashington, D.C.July 27, 2017

Combating Homegrown Terrorism

Good afternoon Chairman DeSantis, Ranking Member Lynch, and members of the subcommittee. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss the threat of homegrown violent extremism.

The FBI utilizes a comprehensive violence reduction strategy, which focuses on all pathways to violence but is not limited to the sole focus of homegrown violent extremism. Our violence reduction strategy is primarily composed of prevention and intervention lines of effort.

In the area of prevention, the FBI has a long history of engagement in outreach and education initiatives, and continues this effort as we identify and adapt to current trends.

In collaboration with our state and local partners, the FBI has historically been very successful in outreach programs designed to reach certain communities who are at greater risk for radicalization. For example, FBI Minneapolis served as a pilot program for the Bureau immediately after September 11, 2001, when their executive management regularly hosted focus group meetings with specific audiences, such as the Somali elders, in order to address their concerns and needs.

Some of our popular outreach programs that have had a positive impact on the community are the Campus Liaison Initiative, the Private Sector Liaison, the Corrections Initiative, the FBI Citizens Academy, and the Junior G-Man Program. These efforts are managed by our division outreach coordinators, in conjunction with the JTTF and local partners. Additionally, the division outreach coordinators assess the needs of their individual community groups and develop specific programming tailored to integrate community and law enforcement goals to mitigate local risk factors for violence.

The FBI also focuses on education for different catalysts for radicalization designed to help the public increase awareness of radicalization. These products are widely disseminated to the law enforcement and community partners for further engagement with the public, and demand continues to increase for additional products. The FBI has a website, Don’t Be a Puppet: Pull Back the Curtain on Violent Extremism, specifically designed for the public and for use by educators and community leaders and organizations for school-age children. Visits to the site average nearly 7,400 a month. Also in reaching out to communities, the FBI has produced other media-based products, including Preventing Violent Extremism in Schools, Recognizing Pathways to Violent Extremism, Campus Attacks: Targeted Violence Affecting Institutions of Higher Education, and Workplace Violence: Issues and Response. We have also produced and distributed documentaries A Revolutionary Act, Redemption, and Active Shooter: Managing the Mass Casualty Threat.